Blackheart
by Unicorns Are Mystical
Summary: A ship of criminals flee the Marine fleets at all costs. An undying fugitive, a Cipher Pol deserter, an escaped princess, and others who know too much find themselves tangled in a web of Marine secrets and plots despite their best efforts to escape. Join them on their constant quest searching for security and safety from the World Government.
1. Prologue

Ten warships surrounded the island, taller than any trees with bright white sails taut in the wind. It was hard to tell what warship fired first, but it began a chorus of booming cannon-fire. Smoke spewed from the lower decks, collecting until there was a dirty gun smoke haze obscuring the island. Forests of the island began to fall as great trees twisted and splintered from the unrelenting barrage.

The small coastal town suffered the same fate. Houses fell like paper to the Marine assault. Cobblestone streets transformed the twisted paths of rubble and rock. Panicked townsfolk filled the streets, making them all the more vulnerable to the Buster Call. People attempted to move carriages through the broken streets, while others abandoned their horses and wagons in the streets.

Bodies joined the rubble now, animals and men caught in the crossfire that still boomed steadily. The cannons were angry and would not withdraw so easily. Blood and grime coated the streets. making it even harder to maneuver among the bodies and rubble. Hopes of escape were shattered when the passenger ship exploded into thousands of wooden splinters.

Trees fell. Houses crumbled. Men died. The cannons didn't stop.

Mothers cried. Horses whinnied. Fires roared. The cannons didn't stop.

Smoke spewed. The island broke. All was silent. The cannons stopped.

Valentine's heart sank through his body. His eyes were glued to the smoldering rock that had been his home. He stood completely helpless before the raw destructive potential of the Marines. Not structure nor life remained of the place he had known for the first 18 years of his life.

What could a man do against such power, he found himself asking. Yet he knew the answer, it had been his fault. He had been warned of the Buster Call yet he didn't listen. It was him that brought an end to life on his home.

He felt cold tears on his cheeks yet his body still stood frozen in awe. Niramor's words haunted him and sang through his mind like a requiem for the island.

_If you ever leave me, you'll destroy everything you've ever known, Valentine._

_I have the Buster Call, don't force me to use it, Valentine._

_You'll stay with me, won't you, Valentine?_

_Don't try to escape, Valentine._

Valentine clutched the bow to stay on his feet. The sweat of his palms felt more like blood. His vision blurred and his stomach retched.

"Son? Son, are you okay?" He heard a voice ask.

"I'm fine," Valentine said. He tried to focus on the speaker but saw only a headache-inducing blur. By the age of the voice and the authority it spoke with, it was a good guess he was talking to the captain of the small fishing vessel

"Well, then hold onto something. Whatever the hell just happened, we are getting out of here. Whatever the Marine's business here is, we want nothing to do with it. Pray they don't notice us."

* * *

Thanks for tuning into the first chapter of my new sweetheart, Blackheart! I have a ton planned for this so be sure to hop on for the ride! I'd love if you could leave a review letting me know what you though of the story, or follow and favourite to stay tuned for more updates!

New chapter every Thursday!


	2. Enter Redwin

The fishing boat knocked against the old wooden harbor. Valentine was off in a rush, he didn't want to get stuck behind the workers as they unloaded equipment. Stretching his legs was an attractive prospect as well, something he did the moment his feet hit solid ground. He never spent much time at sea and hadn't quite earned his sea legs, or sea stomach, yet.

"Two hours, son," the captain said, "We will unload this, get a bite at the lodge, then be sailing off in two hours. Be here on time, we won't wait for you."

"I understand," Valentine said. He watched as crewmen unloaded barrels and crates, and became very grateful that he had paid his way onto the ship as a passenger and needn't earn his place. When the workers had all disappeared with loads of cargo into the port town, Valentine sat on the dock, leaning against a coil of rope, and relaxed for the first time in a long while.

His body hadn't forgotten the horror of the Buster Call. The image of his island turned wasteland plagued his thoughts and seemed to be painted on the inside of his eyelids. Every time he closed his eyes, it was all he could see. The destructive capabilities of the marines was unimaginable. He tried to shake the thought, to push the image down into the depths of his mind where he could forget it. It was something he had perfected during his time with-

"You managed to slip out of Niramor's grip, then?" The voice startled Valentine, ripping him out of a drowsy half-sleep. He was alone on deck, save for the new stranger. The stranger had long hair that smelled of the ocean, dark skin, and intense golden eyes. He wore an open coat with a necklace on his bare chest. "I asked you a question, Valentine," the stranger said.

"How do you know that name, or rather, my name? Who are you?" Valentine asked.

"I can explain later, you need to come with me. Now." The stranger reached for Valentine's hand, which he swatted away.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Valentine asked.

"Stubborn…" the stranger cursed, "The crew that brought you here? They found your bounty poster. They are likely on their way back to capture you as we waste time talking."

"How do I know _you_ aren't someone who found my bounty poster and intends to capture me?" Valentine countered.

"If I wanted to capture you, you'd be captured," the stranger said.

"How can you be so sure? I promise, I'm much more slippery than you think," Valentine said.

"My name is Redwin, happy? Just call me Red. And if you don't come with me right now by choice, I'll force you along." Valentine knew a threat when he heard one. He weighed his options, looking around to see if the fishing crew he had been hitching a ride with were around. If nothing else, he figured, he was confident he could slip away in the city if he had to.

"Alright, my hero. Take me away." Red rolled his eyes, reaching out again to help Valentine up. He got up on his own, ignoring the offered help. "Where are you taking me, my hero?"

"Don't call me that," Red said, "There's a marine battalion in this town. We need to leave as soon as possible. There's a passenger ship leaving in half an hour, we will both be on it."

"Interesting," was all Valentine said.

They continued through town together. Valentine prodded Red with more questions about him, receiving only short answers. Apparently: they had met before, he knew Niramor (but wouldn't say how), and Red was here to protect him from trouble with the marines. Valentine carefully patched together any and all available information he had, slowly piecing together more and more about the strange figure that had barged into his day. After one question too many, Red whirled on him.

"Do you do anything other than ask questions?" the taller man asked.

"Sometimes," Valentine spoke carefully, taking a step away from Red's aggressive stance.

"I came here to help you, I didn't expect an interview." Red huffed, "Now, keep it down until we reach the ship. There will be plenty of time for questions on the trip."

Valentine stopped asking questions.

At his first opportunity, Valentine slipped into the crowd, ducking his head to keep out of sight and swerving between people as subtly as possible. He was confident in his ability to sneak away from Red's notice. He was scared of the man for many reasons, but his perception wasn't one of them. He never planned on actually leaving the island with the man, he was only entertaining him to try to learn more about who Redwin was and why he sought him out. When Red stopped giving answers and failed to convince Valentine of his own safety, he left at the first opportunity.

Even with all that aside, there was no way he was leaving with someone who had connections to Niramor, not now. Judging by Val's newfound bounty, she was looking for him, and Red could be planning to take him right to her.

He paused on a billboard, spotting a familiar face on a bounty poster. Him. The bounty poster read,

_Valentine_

_Wanted Alive_

_10,000,000 Berries_

_A dangerous escapee from the N8 Marine Base. Cash rewards offered for any verifiable information about his whereabouts. Contact Captain Niramor at N8 Base._

It seems Red was telling the truth about at least one thing. The most unsettling thing about it was the accuracy of the drawing. Valentine ran his hand over his facial features, suddenly very self conscious of his high cheekbones. With a quick look both ways, he ripped the bounty off the board and shoved it in a pocket and made his way to the boardwalk.

Now he was faced with the question of where to go from here. He trusted Redwin as far as he could throw him-not far at all, and wasn't leaving with him. But his words could very well be true about the fishing crew as well, and Valentine no longer felt safe there either.

Unseen hands slammed into Valentine's back. He slammed against a wooden railing. Terror filled him when the wood holding him back moved and creaked. An instant later it snapped, sending him plummeting. He threw his hands out and tried to grab onto something, but wasn't strong enough to keep a grip.

As Valentine plunged towards the cold ocean and his stomach leapt into his throat, a single thought played through his mind.

He really wished he knew how to swim.

Cold water buried him beneath the waves. Stinging salt filled his eyes and nose. His arms moved and his legs kicked, but it was hard to make progress when he don't know which way is up. His lungs strained for air and the fear of suffocation gripped him. He kicked harder to no avail, only succeeding in using up what little air he had left in his lungs.

The tightness in his chest increased until it felt like he was being squeezed by a giant, and then went away altogether, replaced with numbness. Feeling slipped away from him as his brain seemed to tilt further and further out of his body. The panic of before was gone, and the new sensation was almost soothing.

The next thing Valentine remembered was puking up water. He was curled on his side, spitting out a seemingly endless supply of H2O. There was another person nearby, he couldn't tell who. His eyes burned like they'd been set in a cauldron, not the sea.

"What were you doing sneaking away from me? Did someone throw you in? Valentine!" Wonderful, it was Red who had saved him.

Valentine croaked in response, rolling into a sitting position. He had almost forgotten what it was like to breathe. He swallowed, but it was dry and salty and did little to make him feel better.

"Here." Something round and hard was pushed into his hands. When Valentine did nothing with it, it was pushed to his lips for him and cold water began to spill out all over his chin. Luckily Valentine managed to swallow some properly, even using it to rinse his eyes a bit.

Finally he saw Red, long hair still wet from jumping in, wringing out his coat.

"Come on, our boat leaves soon." Rhett spoke as if nothing had happened.

"The boat to take me to N8 Base so you can collect my bounty?" Valentine asked.

"Oh you idiot, do you really think that's why I'm helping you?" Red reached into his jacket and fished around, retrieving a sodden piece of paper and handing it to Valentine. It was another bounty. This one read,

_WANTED Dead Only_

_Redwin Asada_

_15,000,000 Berries_

"You aren't the only one running. Now do you believe that I'm not turning you in? I'm not doing that, and I won't let anyone else. From now on, I'll be protecting you."

* * *

Thanks for tuning in! Chapter length will come soon as we ramp up the story. I hope you all like the new character, Redwin!

If you liked the story, make sure to let me know with a review and follow/favorite for future updates! See you next Thursday!


	3. Boarding

Waves methodically rocked the passenger ship Valentine lay in. His hammock moved in tune with the ship, making it hard for him to sleep. He was thankful that Red had spoken to the captain and secured them the hammocks. Other passengers huddled further below deck like livestock. A four hour boat ride was ahead of them, and Valentine intended to sleep through as much as he could.

"Where did you say this boat was headed?" Valentine asked.

"Ishport," Red said, "I have friends in the city, we will be safe there."

"You seem to have many friends," said Valentine, "might I ask where they came from?"

"Perhaps I make a hobby of saving helpless strangers from Marines."

"Perhaps." Valentine rolled Red's words around in his brain, trying to break apart their meaning. "A strange hobby for a former marine."

Valentine listened to Red's hammock fall silent at the accusation. When he spoke, it was with cold confidence, "I told you I would keep you alive, not that I would not cut off your tongue if you did not hold it. I am not a marine, and never have I been one. Now, no more questions."

Valentine frowned, mostly ignoring the threat-worse things had been done to him than a severed tongue. He had been quite sure of his deduction that Red was a former marine, and was surprised at it's rejection. He had the battle skills of a marine, flashed a small token-a badge by Valentine's guess- to gain hammocks on the boat, and spoke of friends in many different places. Why a marine, or anyone for that matter, would appear without warning with determination to keep him alive was beyond Valentine.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the boat abruptly shook. Feet stomped above deck, sending trails of dust drifting from the ceiling.

"Stay down here!" Red ordered, "Don't come up unless you hear me yell the name, 'Risa'!" He leapt from his hammock and latched onto the ship's ladder. He crawled up the ladder and above deck like a born sailor.

The ceiling was only a few feet above Valentine's hammock, close enough to reach he figured. He went about carefully standing up on the wobbling hammock and pressed his ear to the dusty wood.

"-see if he's on board. If he's not, you all can go on our way. If he is, and you don't tell us, the Cobra Pirates will blast a hole in your ship and leave you here to sink!" The voice spoke with confidence, a captain. Pirate likely-he didn't talk like a marine and Valentine didn't know who else would board a passenger ship. They were looking for someone-who was he kidding, they were likely looking for him. He was the only one in the area with a bounty worth boarding a passenger ship for.

He checked his surroundings; stacks of hammocks, crates and barrels piled against the walls-nothing big enough for him to hide in-, and no way out other than the ladder. More frantic footsteps hurried his thoughts. Valentine grabbed a spool of wire from a hook on the wall and leapt behind the ladder so that a descending person would have their back to him.

The door flapped open, startling Valentine, and a figure slid down the ladder. He tightened the wire and leapt at the figure.

"It's me, Red." Valentine came to a teetering stop. He still gripped the wire tightly, only letting go when Red pushed it away. "What were you doing to do with that?"

"Just be glad you stopped me." Valentine tossed the wire aside. "What did you see up there?"

"A small crew on a big boat, all bandaged up and ragged. Must have had a run in with the local base. They have your wanted poster, you didn't tell me it was 10 million berries for your safe return."

"It's new to me as well." Valentine chewed his lip.

"I don't think they are going to leave peacefully. They'll find us down here eventually." Red paused to tie the ladder door shut. "Any bright ideas?"

"One, in fact."

* * *

When Valentine sucked in and stretched, he could just fit through the porthole on the pirate's ship. After he got his mid section through, he had to push against the hull from the inside to pull the rest of his body through. He landed in an uncoordinated pile, hoping he didn't make too much noise.

The gun deck seemed empty, thankfully. Shining black cannons stood ready along the walls with polished metal balls sitting in neat piles, ready for use.

Valentine wasted no time dragging a few cannons out of their place and turning them to face the walls. He set the gunpowder and tied an especially long fuse. The cannonballs were almost too heavy for him to lift as he attempted to shove it down the barrel.

"Is someone down here?" Boots pounded on wooden stairs as a pirate stomped down. "Wish it wasn't so bloody dark…" The pirate squinted, scanning the ship for movement. Perhaps that last swig of rum wasn't wise. He swiped sweat off his forehead with his bandana, time to head back above deck. No-wait, he didn't remember that porthole being open-

A dull thunk cut off the pirate's thoughts. He slunk to the ground as if made of paper. Valentine set down a bloody cannonball, letting it roll away while he dragged the pirate out of sight. There wasn't much place to hide him, but it wouldn't matter soon. He could hear Red engage the pirates above deck, he had to hurry.

Valentine loaded the last cannon with a grunt. In a flash, his lighter sparked up a flame and he burned the tips of all the fuses. Moving with new haste, Valentine squirmed through the pirate's porthole and back into the passenger ship. For once, he was happy he was so thin.

He landed a bit more graceful this time. Valentine wasted no time in climbing up the ladder, untying the knot, and lifting the panel just enough to peek onto the deck. Most everyone was watching the commotion Red was causing on the pirate ship. He watched two pirates run past to join the fight. Good, the plan was in tact, for now.

A great thunder sounded from the adjacent ship. Valentine flew onto the deck in response. Wooden splinters floating all around the pirate ship, which began a sickening lean. Valentine untied all of the pirate's rigging and fulfilled his role in the plan.

Red was doing well, all things considered. Pirates were nothing new for him, and his initial assumption that the crew lacked a devil fruit user proved correct. Blades and pistols were much preferred to devil fruits. He used the crews disorganization to his advantage, slipping through the chaos to deny them a proper shot. He contributed as much to the chaos as possible, tossing crewmates into each other, knocking crates, barrels, and other clutter onto the deck. All the more things for clumsy pirates to trip over.

His breath hitched when a cutlass came too close. He pulled the arm of a nearby pirate into the sword's path, blocking it with a sickly squelch. He kicked the both of them into a pirate trying to aim his pistol and slipped back into the crowd.

Time was running short, the cannonfire signal had gone off long ago. It was time to speed things up.

Red leapt out of the crowd of pirates, landing on a stack of barrels. Before any pirates could notice him, he began jumping in place. The strange act was performed surprisingly quick, and it was speeding up as well. In no time Red was little more than a blur, until he disappeared altogether.

A thousand sounds of flesh on flesh sounded at once. Every pirate on the ship toppled over, groaning and clutching their new bruises. Red appeared again in the centre of the deck, a deck that was tilting at a dangerous rate. Full barrels and cannons began to roll to the low side, only increasing the rate of sinking. Red peeked over the rail towards the passenger ship. Blast, he had drifted away during the fighting. He was at least one hundred feet away from it now. He began to jump in place.

Valentine watched as Red leapt out of the sinking ship, sailing through the air at incredible pace. Though fantastic, he wouldn't make it even a quarter of the distance. As Valentine mentally made funeral preparations for Red, he abruptly leapt off of the air as if it was solid. Valentine and the other passengers watched him climb an invisible slope and race across the air towards them. As he ran he began to lose altitude, stumbling slightly and rising less with each jump. When he was near the boat he fell so low the waves licked his shoes, leading him to one more climatic leap.

Red's hands slapped against the railing, barely gripping it before he slid down. With audible difficulty, Red lifted himself over the railing and flopped on the other side. He lay on his back, his chest heaving.

"I can't say I expected that," Valentine said with a grin, "I'm impressed. Write that down, because I won't be saying it again."

"Thanks…" Red could barely say the word before needing to breath again. "I just… my body," he paused to cough, then gasp for more air, "After I do that… I need to rest." He couldn't move a muscle if he wanted to right now, but he wasn't about to say that. His entire body was burning up after that much exertion.

"You'll have time to rest now," a sailor stepped from the crowd wearing a captain's cap. "Valentine, is it? You failed to mention a 10 million berry bounty on your head when you boarded my vessel." The captain paused to cough and hack, spitting a wad of phlegm overboard. "I'll forgive it on the grounds that you took care of the pirates, but I haven't forgotten why they boarded us in the first place. We will be dropping you off at the nearest port, no matter where you're heading, and sailing off without you."

"I wouldn't be so sure." A figure struck like a snake bite. In a blink he had a woman in his arms, with a knife pressed to her throat. He was a pirate, with wild eyes like a cornered animal. They settled on Valentine, after which his mouth twisted upwards. "You! The one the marines want, Valentine! If you know what's good for you, you'll jump overboard."

"My bounty requires me to be alive, since I assume you didn't read it," Valentine said.

"I don't care about that anymore!" The pirate pulled the knife against her skin, drawing blood that trickled down her pale skin. His eyes shook when he spoke, though from what Valentine wasn't sure. "You just sunk my entire crew! I'm taking you down with me. Now get jumping or she gets the knife!"

Valentine watched his hostage intently. Her eyes were filled with fear, watching his knife move with each word he said. She locked eyes with him and pleaded with him silently. A small girl, a spitting image of the woman, clung to her leg, soaking her pants with tears.

"Do it then," Valentine said. He heard Red curse from the ground. Onlookers mumbled their surprise and disdain for his heartlessness.

The pirate stumbled at the unexpected response. He stumbled over words, eyes racing around the boat as if he could find an answer. "You… you sick fuck!" He tossed the woman aside. She fell to the ground and her child was immediately beside her again. Valentine watched the relief in both of their faces and was glad his bluff paid off.

The pirate must have followed his eyes, because moments later he latched onto the child's ponytail and held her up by it, causing her to wail and beg. "I knew it, no one's that heartless. So it's the kids that get you then. Now, get jumping before I-"

Valentine didn't give him the chance to finish. He leapt for the child, wrapping his arms around her and ripping her from the pirates grip. For his heroism, he felt a familiar pain slice open his back, from his first rib to his shoulder. The pirate's voice cut off suddenly, a throwing knife sticking from the skull. He slumped to the ground without a final word.

Valentine released the girl, though the movement caused him great pain. She squirmed away from him and ran to her mother, he didn't blame her.

"Thanks…" Valentine turned to Red, who was sitting up against the hull now. Valentine stood up but found his balance to be gone entirely. He fell onto his stomach, nearly knocking himself out in the process. His clothes had been cut in half on his back, showing a knife wound growing increasingly black.

"Someone help him!" Red demanded.

"Don't worry about me." Valentine seemed to find his senses, rising to his wobbly feet.

"There's nothing we can do here, lad." The captain inspected the pirate's knife. "That's Dagger Frog venom. It can kill you in three hours, nasty stuff. Frankly, I'm surprised you're able to stand."

"Let's just say I'm made of tougher stuff than most." Valentine held onto a railing for support. Red seemed to be finding his footing too, finally.

"How did you know it was Dagger Frog venom?" Red lowered his eyes at the captain.

"Don't look at me like that. I fell prey to it myself last year, that's all," the captain said.

"How did you live?" Red said.

"We were an hour short of Elder Falls, a healer there helped me and I was fine in a few hours."

"How far away is Elder Falls?" Valentine asked.

The captain pondered for a few seconds, spitting more phlegm overboard as he thought. "Sorry lad, but it's four hours away, and Dagger Frog venom always kills in three. Our best bet is to stop in Mezo, it's closer-"

"No, we are going to Elder Falls." Valentine found his strength and stood with confidence now. "I'll make it, don't worry about me."

"You mistake yourself. This is my ship, on which you have no authority." The captain scowled. "We will go to Mezo, try your luck with a doctor there. I doubt they'll have the antivenom though."

Red cursed, striding over to the captain and grabbing something from a pocket. He held it in the captain's face. A badge. "I'm Redwin Asada of Cipher Pol 4. Under the authority of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the World Government, I have a license to kill any citizen that acts in contrary to the agency's interests. Do you understand this Captain?"

"Cipher Pol? But he has a bounty!" the captain said.

"Don't make me reiterate, Captain. I will ask once more, do you understand?" Red lowered his gaze. The captain offered no challenge, only gulping audibly. "Good choice. Now, steer the boat to Elder Falls immediately."

After the confrontation, Red sunk down next to Valentine on the ship. They both breathed heavily, Valentine pressing a hand on his wound.

"Who is Risa?" Valentine asked.

"Shut up."

* * *

Thanks for tuning in! Now that the plot is under way, the chapters will remain at a stable length. I hope you all enjoyed learning more about Valentine and Red!

If you liked the story, make sure to let me know with a review, and follow/favorite for future updates! See you next Thursday!


	4. Elder Falls

Valentine was a wreck by the time they unloaded at Elder Falls. He was sweating through his clothes yet shivered. Pain flared up and down his wound whenever he moved and his vision blurred any time he didn't focus. Red kept a close eye on him as they entered the island, asking him incessantly about his condition, which Valentine waved off each time.

The town they docked at was entirely unimpressive. The houses were small and seemed to be made entirely of material found on the island, mostly wood and thatch. It was a humble town, no more than a hundred buildings in total.

Few townsfolk could be seen. The few that were present stopped what they were doing to stare strangely at the pair, especially at the sickly Valentine. They didn't approach anyone yet, no one presented anything less than halted aggression.

A low hissing startled Valentine. He jumped back, only nearly avoiding stepping on a snake. A grass green viper slithered by, uncaring that it was nearly stepped on. A throwing knife appeared in Red's hand, which he raised in preparation to kill the snake.

"Don't even think about it!" A voice shouted. Valentine and Red looked to see an older man, previously gawking, now scolding them. "Harm that creature and you'll be hanging by the neck before dark!"

"I'd like to see you try…" Red growled, gripping his knife tighter.

"Please," Valentine placed a hand on Red to dampen his aggression. He turned to the older man with a much more amicable, though forced, expression. "We are newcomers here; we beg your pardon. Is it illegal to kill a snake in this land?"

The old man snarled at the pair, looking them up and down to check their intentions. Valentine worked to keep his composure while being scanned by the villager, however difficult it was with his burning pain and venom coursing through his body. After what seemed like an eternity, the old man spoke.

"Snakes are holy things here, you'll do well to remember that. They aren't just beasts. They are sent by God. If a snake bites you, it means you're a sinful man and you won't be welcome. Understand? Now finish your business and be off, we don't need any strangers here."

The pair watched the expression of the other citizens as the old man left. They watched Valentine and Red with careful eyes, waiting to see their reaction. The message was clear. They had learned the rules and gotten their warning, the next incident wouldn't end so peacefully. In the silence, another snake slithered across the path.

"I think we should move," Valentine whispered. Red nodded, and they moved along. Best not linger and draw even move suspicion. They walked out of the town center and into a sparsely populated area. By the condition the houses were in, it was possible that it was entirely abandoned. It was a place they could talk openly.

"How are you holding up?" Red asked.

"Feels like I'm being roasted over a fire and I can't feel my feet," Valentine said.

"Makes sense, you were supposed to be dead-" Red paused to check his pocket watch. "An hour and a half ago."

"Depends on who you ask." Valentine allowed a quick joke despite the tension and his pain.

"Talking is a waste of time. You could drop at any minute and we don't know where the hospital is," Red said.

"I don't think it'll make much of a difference." Despite the humid jungle that surrounded the town, Valentine shivered in his coat. "You saw how they see snakes. I doubt they keep antivenom here. I don't know where that damn captain found a healer that would treat him, if he was even telling the truth."

"We have to try the hospital no matter the odds," Red said, "Even if they can't help you, it's the best place to ask around for someone who can."

"We can split up to find it, it shouldn't take long in this town," Valentine said. Red nodded, checking his surroundings before walking off. Valentine walked off in the opposite direction, albeit a lot more painfully.

Valentine paused in front of a notice board, a habit he had picked up recently. He scanned the layers of overlapping parchment, each fighting to be in front. Two familiar papers were amongst the newest on the board. Bounties, for a certain Red and Valentine. His bounty was the same as it had been at the last town, 10 million berries for his unharmed capture. His picture too, were his cheekbones really that sharp? Red's was there too, but Valentine had only gotten a glance at it before. He took the time to read the paper in full.

_WANTED Dead Only_

_Redwin Asada_

_15,000,000 Berries_

_Known to go by 'Red'. He is a powerful, high ranking Marine deserter. If spotted, do not engage lightly. He is a known user of the Six Powers, or Rokushiki. Wanted for the crimes of treason, assault, and desertion in the line of duty. Report any information on Redwin to your nearest Cipher Pol agent._

He reminded himself to have a talk with Red about his time with Cipher Pol, when he wasn't dying that is. Red had been rather tight lipped about working for the very people tracking them down. Since seeing the bounty he was sure that Red wasn't working for the Marines, but that didn't mean he trusted the man further than he could throw him. Despite his frustrations, he did Red the favor of ripping down his poster along with his own.

With both posters gone, a new space on the board was revealed. It was also a bounty poster, but much older than theirs. The sketch was of a young woman with extensive tribal jewelry, an armful of tattoos, and long hair. The bounty was hand drawn, and of much lower quality than Red and his government issued ones.

_WANTED Dead or Alive_

"_Snake Demon" Aria_

_5,000,000 Berries_

_Wanted for the crimes of theft, murder, and illegal medicinal practice on the island of Elder Falls. Known to reside in the jungle of the same island. Report any information on this dangerous heretic to Dr. Soren. Do NOT accept healing services from her under any circumstances._

The information seemed particularly useful, so Valentine folded it up and added it to his growing pocket of stolen posters.

* * *

Valentine gritted his teeth through the pain. Red must have noticed, because he handed him a leather belt to grip, lest he break his teeth from clenching them. He accepted it without hesitation, biting down on it as another wave of pain went through his body.

"I'm sorry, the wound needs to be cleaned thoroughly to prevent infection," the nurse said. She smiled apologetically before returning to her work dabbing Valentine's back with a cotton ball. It was hard to work through the rips in his shirt, but Valentine had refused to take off any clothes, even at the behest of a doctor.

"Aren't you more worried about the venom than infection?" Valentine pressed. The nurse paused, chewing her lip. She spoke slowly with careful words.

"Our center isn't equipped to deal with venom, unfortunately," she said.

Valentine feigned surprise. "Odd, considering all the snakes around here."

The nurse's face was red and burning hot, her eyes locked onto her work. "The snakes aren't a problem in these parts. Actually we… _welcome _them here."

Red groaned. "Can we save the talking for afterwards?"

"Oh, of course!" The nurse seemed to catch herself, pulling out the façade. "Frankly, I don't know how you are still alive. If it truly is Dagger Frog venom, you should be long dead. Your body seems to be fighting the venom with incredible efficiency. In fact, would you allow us to draw blood for research-"

Valentine's hand whipped up to grab her wrist, making her shriek. She dropped the needle she held. It clattered on a metal tray, sending small instruments all over the ground.

"I'm not your lab rat," Valentine's voice didn't seem to be his own, deep and with rare aggression.

"Sorry! Yes, I understand! Please! Just let go!" the nurse said. Valentine freed her wrist, which she held in pain. Red's mind raced for a way to stop the situation from escalating.

"If you have any antivenom, we would be happy to pay for it and be on our way. Enough empty words, speak the truth. Do you have any?" Red said.

"No…" The nurse's eyes were still filled with fear, which Red cursed Valentine for causing. Luckily, she continued, "We aren't allowed to keep any, for snakes or otherwise. They… they don't let me. I had to lie about the Dagger Frog venom just to get your friend in the room."

Though he felt guilty, Red decided to press his advantage and squeeze out more information while she was off guard. "Why? Why would they refuse him help?"

The nurse spoke faster, clearly fearful. "They've been calling snakes holy as long as I've been around. I don't know why, I never understood it. If anyone gets bitten they'll refuse them help and throw them out of town. I don't think they'd care for the difference that it was a frog for your friend."

"He is going to die soon." Red stepped forward, towering over her and making her lean backwards. "If you know of any way to help him, tell me now. Without your help, he has no hope."

The nurse chewed even more of her lip, leaning further and further away from Red until she nearly tripped over a chair. Her eyes flicked all over the room and her mouth formed silent beginnings of words that never came.

"You do know," Valentine said. He showed them the bounty he had nicked off the wall earlier. "You know about Aria but you are afraid to say, because she has a bounty. Is that true?"

The nurses nodded furiously, her ponytail flapping up and down.

"Where can we find her? We don't have time to look in the jungle all day." Valentine said.

"They say she lives near the falls, but that's just a rumor. That's all I know, I swear!"

Red and Valentine looked between each other before finally leaving the room, easing the pressure on the poor nurse.

"The things I do for you…" Red grumbled.

* * *

I know this one is posted late, but it's before midnight so it counts! I wasn't quite sure how to do this chapter so it got put off a bit. Here's hoping I can keep a good streak of updating on time!


	5. Endless Jungle

_**My apologies for my sudden disappearance. A family member passed away and I took a break from all things. I appreciate your patience as we return to our regular update schedule.**_

_Step,_

_Step,_

_Step._

Valentine hung his head and focused on putting one foot forward at a time. He tried not to look at the endless jungle that made him worry that they were lost. He tried not to pay attention to the burning pain down his whole body that flared with every beat of his heart. He tried to ignore the fatigue that crept into his limbs and made him slower and clumsier with every passing minute.

_Step,_

_Step,_

_Step._

"Don't fall too far behind," Red called out. Valentine looked up and was disheartened to see he had fallen behind Red, so far that he could only faintly see him through the thick greenery. His pause resulted in sinking ankle deep into the ever-present mud.

"I'm trying," Valentine groaned. He jerked his foot free of the wet dirt and struggled over a fallen trunk.

"You told me you were well enough for the trip." Red offered a hand over the obstacle.

"Well, I haven't dropped dead yet." Valentine took the hand, letting Red pull him the rest of the way over the trunk.

"It's been half a day since you were poisoned, and you were supposed to die in three. How are you alive?" Red said.

"Good question," Valentine said, "Unless you want to sit around and think about it, let's keep moving."

The forest managed to be staggeringly isolating yet alive at the same time. Endless trees in every direction made the pair aware of just how small they were, but constant bird calls and wildlife at every corner made the jungle an ecosystem with thousands of diverse moving parts. They were as small to the forest as the ground bugs were to them, not worthy of note in the slightest.

The pair trudged onwards through the jungle. Light barely crept through the canopy, putting the forest in a state of eternal twilight that made time impossible to track. All Valentine knew was that they hadn't quite reached nightfall yet. He almost yearned for a cool night; the jungle was thick with humidity and he had nearly sweat through his clothes. They had avoided rain thus far, luckily. He didn't know what they would do for cover if it began to pour.

Though he hid it well, Valentine's condition was worsening. His nerves were lit with a burning sensation that stole the feeling from his feet and hands. His vision blurred when his focus slipped even slightly. His brain felt like clay constantly molded by an angry sculptor. A great pressure pushed on his mind that made clear thought impossible and he was plagued by splitting headaches.

Finally, he could walk no longer. Valentine fell to his hands and knees, sinking up to his wrists in the mud. His breaths were slower and ragged, he struggled to find proper breath. His muscles were no longer under his control, no matter how solid his determination.

"Are you alright back there?" Red called from afar.

"_No_," Valentine croaked. His body couldn't move. His limbs burned so hot he couldn't feel them properly and a vice had been tightening over his windpipe that became too tight to breathe through.

Red appeared beside him.

"What's going on? Are you okay?"

Tears dripped into the mud. Valentine shook, all confidence and arrogance lost. He had never felt like this before, Niramor had never hurt him like this. He knew he could survive a blade or a gunshot, it gave him ease and no fear of death. He had never been poisoned before, and his fragile mortality began to weigh upon him. Cuts and breaks were easy once you got over the pain, but he was helpless against this microscopic enemy that killed him from the inside.

He was going to fail. He would lie down and die in the forest mud and never be found. After trial and trial and a laundry list of injuries, this was finally it. He would be forgotten.

As if summoned by the tears, rain began to drip from the canopy. It slapped against a thousand leaves, creates a chorus of pattering. The pair were soaked in short time. Wet hair curtained Valentine's face. Tears were only a memory, something he thought he had forgotten how to do years ago.

"Red," Valentine sniffed. "_I don't want to die…_"

An arm looped around his chest and Red lifted him over his shoulder. Valentine's body was slack like a corpse, but he still sobbed quietly into Red's shirt.

"Hold onto me. I'll keep you safe and get you there alive."

* * *

Valentine hadn't moved for an hour. His breathing had slowed and quieted to where Red could only hear it when he stopped moving entirely and keened his ear. When he moved at full pace and he could hear it no longer, his worries spiked. He didn't dare stop walking though, he feared if he stopped then he wouldn't have the energy to start again. He mentally encouraged Valentine to stay alive, though he received no response.

He trudged onwards, ignoring the pain of his muscles. Cipher Pol training was the last time he was this physically drained. He was in peak physical fitness, having followed a strict Marine diet and exercise routine for the past six years, but the jungle was unforgiving. Wet ground, uneven terrain, thick humidity, low visibility, and unclear directions made it a ruthless journey. He wondered how long ago on his trek the average citizen would have collapsed from exhaustion, or suffered a medical attack and drop dead.

Red stopped inches before the shore of a river. The wet dirt held together only with thin roots bent dangerously under the weight of the two, threatening to break and drop them in. With everything dark, humid, and wet in the jungle, he hadn't seen the river until he was nearly swimming in it. Red carefully stepped back and set Valentine down against a tree. Unfortunately, he didn't stir.

In the meek moonlight that fell through the canopy, the river glowed silver. It was wide and shallow, too far to throw a stone over but low enough to see the riverbed through the water.

Red plucked a large mushroom from the ground, barely able to wrap his hand around the stem. After he tested the weight, he tossed it into the water.

The water immediately churned and thrashed. Spray flew and scales flashed just under the surface. Bits of the mushroom floated to the surface until, as rapidly as it started, it stopped.

"Butcherfish," Red said with a groan. They were well known for their intense aggression and ability to tear apart a man in minutes, leaving the clean bones to float up on shore days later. It was impossible to tell how far the river went on for, and he didn't have the time to find a place to cross. He walked to where he lay Valentine and picked him up gently holding him across both shoulders.

"I'm sorry about this," Red said to his unconscious friend.

Red sprinted towards the shore and leapt towards the other side. The air formed together under his feet and he flew. He walked an invisible bridge initially, far above the surface. It wasn't halfway across the river when he started falling more than he rose. His Geppo couldn't handle the extra weight of Valentine and his feet sunk through the footholds he created. Every stride dropped him further down, and his safe arrival at the other side because unlikely. He heard the splash of his foot breaking the water, and he was sure the Butcherfish did too.

With a determined roar, he created firmness under his feet and tried to gain distance between him and the river. Even after he was a few inches above the river he could hear water breaking and snapping jaws behind him. He didn't dare look back, channeling his fear into determination, putting everything on the quality of his geppo.

The other side of the river loomed ahead, though the shore was far steeper and higher than before. Taking Valentine in his arms, he heaved him on shore where he landed safely, if roughly. With Valentine safe, Red slammed into the shore, sending his vision spinning. He grasped frantically, managing to wrap a hand around a firm root. He pulled on that, using the last of his strength to get a leg up on shore and pull himself up to safety.

He lay on his back, chest heaving. A butcherfish dangled from his pants, chewing furiously on the hem. Red sent a heel through it with a scowl, ending the flopping abruptly.

A quiet groan from Valentine made him forget all worries about his own condition. Valentine was dying. No matter how sore he was, Valentine was worse. There was no time for rest. He lifted Valentine onto his shoulders and continued on his seemingly Sisyphean task.

A large snake followed in his wake. An exotic jungle snake, with blue scales, turned milky in the moonlight, and glaring yellow eyes. It was clearly better suited to the jungle, slithering with ease past obstacles that troubled Red. It acted as a jungle vulture, daringly stalking him. Moving no closer, but making sure not to fall behind. It made itself tantalizingly vulnerable, as if it knew Red didn't have the time to deal with it.

A low rumble from the brush froze Red mid-step. In response, the snake shot into the growl continued, growing in volume and intensity. Every snapping branch and crunching root sounded a hundred times louder with the presence of a stalking predator. Yellow feline eyes flicked open in front of him, followed by another from the source of the growling. Panthers, black as death and barely visible in the night, stepped towards him. Their paws were almost mockingly quiet with every fall, showing how they came so close without being noticed. Their jaws hung open, tongues swaying with every step. Yellowed fangs dripped in anticipation.

Red made careful steps as they began to circle him. He had Valentine on his shoulders, which limited him greatly. If he set the injured man down he'd be welcome prey for the hungry cats, so that wasn't an option. He figured he could handle them if he wasn't hindered, not that he would welcome a fight against two cats heavier than him, but while carrying Valentine he didn't like his odds.

Red shaved, hoping to catch them off guard. He flickered back into sight a hundred meters ahead in a full sprint. Cries of frustration sounded behind him. Beads of sweat already decorated his face, Soru wasn't easy with an extra passenger. The panthers scream came closer as they crashed through the brush towards him. His head start was all he had, and it wasn't going to get any larger.

Red bounded over fallen trees and ducked under massive roots. He used his mobility to his advantage, jumping off the air to make sharp turns and using Soru to jump to hard to reach locations. He could only hope that it confused the predators enough, he didn't dare stop to see if he had lost them.

His hopes were dashed when a panther screamed only just behind him. With a grunt he whirled around and spun. His foot lashed out and connected with the panther's solid skull, nearly snapping his ankle in the process. It fell in a heap at the foot of a tree, dazed but not defeated. Red landed on his good ankle, his other throbbing in pain and not in any shape to take the weight of him and Valentine.

Another scream brought his attention to the other cat. The ground shuddered as its long, powerful legs sent it sailing towards him. He hugged Valentine to his chest, fell onto his back, and sent his good foot into the panther's ribcage, pushing it off towards its partner. Red flipped back onto his feet, returned Valentine to his back, and sprinted, any sense of direction long lost. Sprint was an exaggeration though, with his surely injured ankle it was more of a determined limp. Sooner than last time, he heard their fast approach.

The bushes beside him exploded and a panther leapt at him. Laden with Valentine and caught off guard, he hadn't the time to defend himself. The panther cried in triumph.

A flash of blue scales in the moonlight, and the beast never struck. The vulture snake from before was wrapped around its neck, grappling furiously with the beast. It was huge now that he saw it up close, the size of a man's thigh and longer than he could track. It wrapped around the panthers neck twice, and twice more further down its body. The snake's jaw opened wide, so wide its jaws nearly lined up, and Red watched as it bit down on the panther's head. It reached from behind its ear to its nose. A curved fang pierced an eye, emitting a shriek from the predator turned prey. It tried to run off, making it only ten paces before tripping over itself and falling to the ground. It convulsed weakly, before settling in eternal peace.

The snake locked eyes with Red. He gulped. His beast savior unraveled himself from the panthers neck and slithered off. It stopped to look back at Red expectantly.

Red searched for any sign of the other panther, but found none. It was either gone or hiding excellently. If it did come back, it wouldn't hurt to be near that snake. It wasn't like he knew where he was going anymore anyway. Hesitantly, he began to follow the snake's path.

It kept a polite pace, enough that Red didn't hurt too much when he walked. At this point Red could barely do even that, and he feared collapsing with every step. Exhaustion robbed him of his sense of time. Perhaps hours past, perhaps minutes. All he knew was every step was pure pain and the jungle blended into an endless blur of trees and mud.

Then it was gone. Firm, dry ground was under his feet, something he had forgotten. There was a clearing, and a bright spot… a fire? A structure, a hut, and a woman! Her features were lost to him as he took difficult steps towards him.

"You there!" Red's strength was waning, each step shorter than the last. His voice was weak and ragged. "Are you Aria? The healer?"

The woman looked between him and the body he carried with him, but answered with a hesitant, "Yes."

"Thank god," Red said. His strength failed him and he fell. His mind left his body and the world disappeared.


	6. Waking

Red woke in a warm, dry place. It made him suspicious that it was a dream, since it was startlingly different from last night's endless journey, but he quickly confirmed it was indeed reality. Last night was a wet and muddy nightmare, but the morning was a comfortable place. His euphoria was interrupted by an anxious thought.

"Valentine?" Red said.

He looked around to find Valentine sleeping beside him, thankfully. They were in a small, cozy hut, perhaps the one he remembered vaguely from last night (His memories of it were so fragile he questioned if the last of it was a dream). They lay on a mat over a dirt floor, and had been given pillows and sheets. The rest of the hut was unexciting, save for a desk covered in glass beakers of strange sizes and shapes, each filled with varying colors of liquid. One beaker bubbled gently, a lit candle tracing along its bottom.

Remembering Valentine's wounds, Red gently pulled back Valentine's sheet. His skin was bone white and he looked even more frail and sickly than he usually did. His entire midsection was wrapped in a bandage, hiding the wound on his back. He looked like hell, but he was alive. A weight was lifted from Red's shoulders.

"Sleep well?" A new voice cut through his thoughts. Red looked up to see the woman from last night in the doorway. He was able to get a much better look at her now. She had dark skin dotted with tattoos and piercings, and she wore a vest and wrap made of light fabric. She had blue hair and striking yellow eyes with uncanny slitted pupils. She smiled at him, flashing sharp incisors of uncanny size.

"I did, thanks to you. I appreciate your hospitality towards two strangers," Red said.

"I could never turn away strangers in need, especially in the condition your friend was in," she said.

"Valentine," Red said, "his name is Valentine. I'm Red. My apologies, we didn't get the chance to meet properly last night."

"I am Aria, though you already seemed to know me," Aria said, with a hint towards something more.

"We heard of you in town, though they did little to help us find you," Red said. Aria stiffened at the mention. Red imagined there was much unspoken tension, considering the town had put out a bounty on her. He could relate to the feeling.

"We have our… differences," Aria said, "I hope you don't believe everything they said about me."

"If I did, I wouldn't be here," Red laughed.

He made to rise, but was promptly stopped and scolded by Aria.

"Lay back down, you're in no shape to be up and about. I'm surprised you made it here alive, both of you, considering the shape I found you in. You need to rest most of all. You walked through ten miles of forest to get here. Don't expect to be walking until tomorrow."

Red frowned, "and Valentine?"

Aria bit her lip. "I gave him the proper antivenom, but he's so far along I worry for him. He hasn't shown any signs of improvement, but being alive at his level of toxicity is a good sign itself. I need to care more for his back wound, or it won't heal properly."

"Whatever you need to help him, I can provide," Red said, "Supplies, berries, favors, just name it."

"That won't be necessary, it's mostly up to him now. I've done what I can."

* * *

Valentine woke peacefully, something that immediately aroused suspicion. The last thing he remembered was drifting off while wracked with burning pain during what could very well have been the last hours of his life. Now he was dry, warm, comfortable, and mostly pain free. HIs back pricked along his cut, but nothing other than that. Bandages covered his entire midsection, with extra along his cut on his back. He sat up, sparking burning pain along his spine.

"Don't move so abruptly, your wound hasn't healed properly," a voice said. Valentine's demeanor darkened, his eyes flicking around the room until he found the speaker, a peculiar girl wearing the tribal clothes of a tropical islander. She smiled, baring sharp fangs.

Valentine said nothing to her, holding his dark expression. His hand gripped the handle of his knife under his pillow. How could he trust her with Red missing? He didn't remember last night, for all he knew they could have separated and he was alone here. If that was the case, he wasn't going to ask his whereabouts and reveal valuable information. There was the possibility that Red was dead, or that she killed him.

"Snake got your tongue?" she said. Valentine gripped the knife tighter.

"Who are you?" Valentine demanded.

"At ease, soldier. Her name is Aria." Red's voice drained the tension from his muscles. He let go of the knife. Red stepped into view, shirtless and with dripping wet hair. "You stubbornly sleep by my side for days, but when I step out for a dip in the river you wake up. Typical."

"Even though I told you not to…" The woman gritted her teeth in frustration. She closed her eyes, which seemed akin to placing a lid on a boiling pot. "Keep your wounds dry, you don't want to go through all this and get an infection. That goes for both of you."

The word 'infection' grabbed at Valentine's attention.

"The poison-!"

"The antivenom should be neutralizing the poison as we speak." Aria checked a pocket watch. "It's a miracle you made it here alive, but you need not worry now. In a few hours, the effects of the poison will be gone entirely." Aria smiled, showing her peculiar fangs.

"Thank you for healing me, how many berries do I owe you?" Valentine asked.

"None at all," Aria said.

"Put aside your false politeness," Valentine said, "I don't enjoy being in debt to others. If not berries, than what can be done to repay you?"

"Don't insult your savior," Red said, "You owe your life to her, we both do. Listen to her when she says she doesn't want to be paid."

"Please, the company is enough." Aria attempted to defuse the tension. "I don't get many visitors out here, and I enjoy helping others. With the venom taken care of, if you remove your clothes I can get to work on that nasty cut on your back."

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. Thank you, regardless." Valentine gripped his clothing tightly around his body. HIs muscles stiffened and he seemed more akin to a statue than a man.

"Nonsense, if I don't fix it up it could become infected or fester. I'm a doctor, save the blushing for the women," Aria said.

"No." Valentine stepped back, even though she made no move towards him.

"Why must I keep reminding you that Aria _saved your life_?" Red said with a scowl, "Unless you're keen on dying to blood poisoning in the jungle, then don't bite the hand that heals you."

Valentine sighed. He set his jaw firm, stood up, and wordlessly removed the clothes covering his chest, revealing what lay beneath.

Valentine's skin was a carpet of scars. Lumpy, pink, stretched, blotchy, ugly scars. Luckily, the two spectators managed to hold back a sigh. They had both seen gruesome injuries, one from healing them and the other from inflicting them. It didn't stop their stomachs from turning imagining what wicked instruments inflicted the intense, but often perplexing scars.

"Are you happy?" Valentine spat.

"How are you alive?" Aria asked in wonder. Any other man would not have survived half- no, a quarter of these injuries. Any scar that would look debilitating on an average man, Valentine bore ten of. The scene was grotesque.

"Greater men and women have asked the same question," Valentine said.

Aria remembered her role as a doctor and swallowed, centering herself. She took the instruments in hand and approached Valentine's back.

"Does this have anything to do with your bounty?" Red asked.

"Bounty?" Aria echoed.

"10 million Berries, _alive_." Red said. Aria let out a long whistle while she sewed up Valentine's back.

"Speak for yourself, 25 million Berries, Dead or Alive." Valentine stretched his shoulders, unflinching even as his back was sewn like fabric.

"_Information is valuable_," Red mocked Valentine's words, "I thought we weren't handing out information for free?"

"I'd pay to know how you got these scars," Aria said as lightly as possible.

"Then pay," Valentine said with seriousness. Aria gulped, not expecting such a harsh response. She noticed she had stopped sewing and continued, her mind deciding the right way to tell the story.

"You may have noticed that I'm not very… _well liked _at the village. As you know, Elder Falls is filled with snakes. Years ago, snake bites were the number one killer in my village. It had been going on so long that people began to think snakes were ordered who to bite by the heavens. Nonsense, of course. I was a doctor in training when I began to look for a way to combat the snake menace. I made a medical discovery, a solution made from distilled venom that can neutralize poison. I called it antivenom. Unfortunately, I would need large amounts of snake venom to create any, too much for me to gather in the wild."

A shiver ran up Red's spine. He had a feeling he was about to discover the story behind Aria's fangs.

"A merchant entered town offering a relic that would let a human do everything a snake could do, including create venom. It was an answered prayer. I wanted to buy it, but it cost millions of berries too much. I was determined, no, _obsessed_ with my research. When the village refused to fund my research, I… I stole from them. From family and loved ones. I stole their hard earned money to buy the fruit on the trader's last day in town. I bought it, and gained exceptional abilities. I could create venom from my new fangs, venom to use in my research."

"A devil fruit," Red said.

"Yes, a devil fruit. Unfortunately, my village wasn't as excited at the prospect. After learning of my crime and enraged by my new 'devilish' appearance, I was chased out of town by the same people I worked to save. I've lived here for three years now. The villagers like to call me devil and criminal, but I still give them antivenom every month that saves countless lives."

"You're too kind," Valentine said it like an insult, "The villagers are using you."

"I only count in saved lives, and I'm doing that here." Aria smiled. She patted Valentine on the back. "You're all stitched up, and one story in debt to me."

Valentine rolled his shoulders and neck, testing the stitches. He had been stitched up many times, but this was one of the best jobs ever. With a stiff cough, he began his story without ceremony. "About five years ago I was captured by the Marines. They tortured me all the time, I learned to live through it. They tried all kinds of stuff, sometimes I think they were trying to kill me for real. But I escaped and I'm here today."

Red scoffed. "You're not half the storyteller Aria is. It's not hard to tell you're leaving half of it out."

"And what of your story, Mr. 25 Million? What did you do to get a bounty like that? And what of your Cipher Pol story?" Valentine asked. Aria's eyebrows shot up at Cipher Pol, but she said nothing.

"You forget yourself. If anything, you owe me for saving your life on multiple occasions." Red held Valentine in his golden gaze. "Explain to me exactly why I should tell you?"

When Valentine spoke, he had a glint in his eyes. "You can say what you will, but I believe you are lying to yourself. You sought me out on your own initiative and made it your mission to protect me. You've risked life and limb to keep me alive. If I was a betting man, which I am _not_, I would say you feel that you owe me quite a bit. Why you think that, I haven't the faintest clue. Does that sound about right?"

His comrade's face made his first name proud. Red clenched his jaw and held his tongue, barely. He hated anyone walking circles around him like this, especially Valentine. Unfortunately, Valentine was right, and the rules they had all been abiding by demanded story of his bounty.

"You want a story? Fine, I'll give you a story. Listen closely, because I won't be telling it twice. Only a few short months ago, I was a member of the World Government's intelligence branch. Cipher Pol, the fourth to be specific. I followed orders and did my best to carry out what I believed to be justice. That is, until a… _friend_ showed me the depths of corruption in the ranks. Even my family, staunch Marine loyalists, had been partaking in things I won't be mentioning here. I decided that I'd commit myself to reversing the wrongs that I had assisted the Marines in."

"That doesn't explain why you sought me out," Valentine said, unflinching.

"I was getting there. When I was in CP4, I toured a Marine base. Your Marine base. I passed by you, and they wouldn't tell me why you were kept there. I could have reported it, I had the power to set you free. But I looked the other way because it was more trouble than it was worth to me back then. I could have stopped it right there, but it continued, I failed you, Valentine." When Red looked at him, his eyes held a new emotion that Valentine hadn't seen in him before. "Valentine… I'm sorry."


	7. Exploration

Valentine's recovery sped along at a breakneck pace. In less than a week, his cut was little more than another scar to add to the rest. Red was fine in a day or two, leaving him restless for a few days while Valentine recovered.

On the third day, Red returned with a deer. Valentine was unsure how he slew it, for it showed no signs of injury. When he inquired, Red told him he outran the deer and grabbed it by the antlers, then twisted until he snapped the deer's neck. With that sickening mental image, he wished he hadn't asked.

The deer was prepared, and provided the three with food for as long as they might stay. The contribution put Valentine at ease, and with each passing day he felt less indebted to Aria and on much more even ground. Red performed difficult chores with ease, allowing Aria more time to relax and check upon their injuries. Red stacked enough wood for the entire year in less than a day, and trimmed brush and grass that were encroaching on Aria's clearing. Once Aria had assured him any debt he might have to her had been repaid in full, he could breathe easy.

On the fourth day, Valentine was finally allowed to get out of bed. She forbade him from helping with chores, but a walk after being in bed for days was fulfilling enough. To his surprise, he began to feel comfortable in Aria's home. No longer did he spend nights vigilant and sleepless, knife under his pillow and eyes locked on Aria's sleeping form. He wasn't comfortable with most people treating him, but he grew used to Aria's gentle touch and firm, but caring tone. It was a welcome change to the female touch he was used to.

Once he had fully recovered, Valentine's mind moved forward. Red and him couldn't stay here forever, although he appreciated the excellent hiding place from the Marines. While cutting wood together with Aria out of earshot, Red grabbed his attention.

"How is your wound?" Red asked, "Aria tells me you're healing at a breakneck pace."

"It's almost healed," Valentine said, "I've had worse. We can leave any day now."

"Healed already? Can I see?"

Valentine took a sharp step back. "No."

"Right, sorry."

"How do you plan to get to your friends in Ishport?" Valentine asked. "I'm not sure how long it might be until another passenger ship gets here, let alone one headed for Ishport. Who are these friends anyway? Can we trust them? Will we be staying with them permanently?"

"I was hoping to head to town and find a shipping schedule at the docks. As for your other questions, I can't say for sure right now. Trekking through that jungle again sounds like hell, I hope Aria knows a better way," Red said.

"I'm sure she will, she's proven herself nothing but resourceful so far," Valentine said.

"She has. She's been resourceful, she's well trained in medicine, and though she has a bounty she seems to excel at staying away from prying eyes."

Valentine sighed, he knew what Red was implying and had been fearing it. "You want to try to bring Aria along? Even if she wanted to leave, we'd never get her through town without incident."

"It's less of a problem than you think. If we wanted to take Aria with us, I could ensure her safety," Red said.

"Do we take along every wanted criminal we meet? We aren't a pirate ship. She'd become our responsibility, including hiding and caring for her in Ishport. Bringing together more bounties is a great way to attract the Navy," Valentine said.

"An ironic attitude, considering it's my generosity that is keeping you safe right now. If it weren't for me, Niramor would have you wrapped around her little finger right now-"

Red was cut off by Valentine's axe splitting a log. "Enough," he hissed. Red was amazed at how red Valentine's pale skin had become. Valentine didn't allow another word, stomping off into the woods.

* * *

When Valentine left the clearing, he didn't have much idea of where he was headed. With nothing in mind and little to direct him, he clung onto the sound of roaring water when he heard it. It was dulled and distant, but filled the jungle for what seemed like miles with a low buzz, like a beehive. He would pick a direction and walk for a time, note if the roaring had gotten louder or quieter, and adjust his position based on that. The afternoon shadows began to sprout when Valentine reached the falls.

Elder Falls was a giant, circular pool cut into the side of a cliff. The water fell into a wide, shallow pool before leaking off into a stream that disappeared into the forest. Through the mist he saw the waterfall, a straight sheet that draped the clifface for nearly a hundred feet. The sound of falling water was so loud that he could near nothing else. The mist and sunshine caused rainbows to blossom without warning, before disappearing just as fast. It was beautiful, the type of place he only knew of in his mother's books.

His mother- the grief skewered him. He'd rather it was a knife stabbing him, he had dealt with many of those before. Emotional wounds were new and confusing, and he found himself quite vulnerable to them.

He was filled with the sudden urge to dive into the transparent pool. He imagined its cold embrace wrapping around, making his tumultuous mind as clear as the water. Water was something he avoided since an incident last year, which made him question if the sudden urge to jump in was borne of his mind, or if the pool had a sinister sentience that planned to drown him. Regardless, he found himself stripping off his shoes and coat and diving in with only his shirt and pants.

The roaring water was dulled down here, and The water was as cold as he had anticipated. Unfortunately, it was a lot less calming and much more anxiety inducing. The chill gripped his bones and he fought to keep his coordination and swim to the surface. Before he could, a glint caught his eye from the waterbed. Something half buried and glinting in the kaleidoscope light patterns the waterfall created. His lungs tightened, forcing him to swim to the surface and take a breath before diving for the glint. He didn't consider himself a good swimmer, but the pool was shallow enough that he made it with enough breath to swim back.

He gripped the sand around the shine and ripped it out of the ground. It was a golden key of peculiar design. Sand drifted out of the nooks and cracks, revealing fine design and engravings. He decided to study it more on the surface, and swam back to the shore.

Cleaning the key and inspecting it in the sunlight brought more questions than answers. The end opposite the handle had four fins unlike the usual single. The golden handle was shaped like a heart, encircling a green stone. The craftsmanship was obvious even to Valentine's untrained eye.

"Where are you from?" Valentine asked the key. It was stubbornly silent.

A piece of treasure in the bottom of a pool in the middle of the jungle? Valentine pondered, you weren't buried deep, so you haven't been here long. Before this pool, you came from… His eyes traveled across the pool and up the waterfall. A rare grin broke out on Valentine's face and he tucked the key in his pocket.

The waterfall was difficult to climb. Though there were many handholds, the rocks were slick with moisture from the mist. For once, he longed for Red. He dreamt of him appearing, scaling the rocks in seconds and dropping down a rope. It was only a fantasy, and Valentine continued to struggle up the cliff one rock at a time.

He was climbing beside the waterfall, but halfway up the cliff face became steep and all handholds disappeared. A disgruntled Valentine was forced to shuffle sideways until he was directly under the falling water. He moved at a snail's pace now, with a great weight hammering down on his head. His eyes stayed shut and he moved with touch alone.

_Whatever treasure is up here better be worth it. _Valentine thought. It was thoughts of greed alone that pushed him on. _Maybe I'll buy a ship. Or a manor. Hell, I could pay off someone higher rank than Niramor, like a Commodore, and make my bounty disappear. Yeah, I think I'll do that._

Valentine's hand reached for a hold, but the cliff face was gone. He nearly lost his balance, wildly slapping around. He found a flat surface just above him, a cavern behind the waterfall. He welcomed the opportunity to rest and pulled himself up and out of the raging water.

The cavern was cold, wet, and rocky, but it was a paradise compared to the midst of the waterfall. Valentine lay on his back on the hard rock, basking in relief.

The cavern opened into an underground pool many times bigger than the waterfall pool outside. Beams of light shone through the cavern mouth behind the waterfall, with smaller shots of light poking through vegetation and cracks in the cliff. A mossy slope took Valentine from the cavern mouth to the water level and the shore. The water was a shining silver in the dim light, clear enough to see pale fish dart away at the sound of Valentine's feet crunching gravel. Along the water there were several ruins, rocky piles overgrown with vegetation (he reminded himself to check them for treasure later).

The pool contained two great treasures. First, a ship. The ship was similar to the pirate galleons Valentine had seen, but strange was its total lack of sails or mast. It looked entirely out of place and centuries younger than anything else in the cavern. Hopefully he could find the broken mast and sails and replace them. He knew very little about ships, but if it was seaworthy then it was an option to get off the island, and options were in short order recently.

The next treasure was the gate. Two massive carved stone doors closed off the cavern's pool to whatever lay outside. A sun was depicted on both gates, though eroded and faded. The gates looked large enough to sail two ships abreast if opened. How they were supposed to be opened was a mystery, as Valentine saw no mechanism to open it.

The cavern was large enough to fit the entirety of the town, but was quiet as a mouse. As Valentine's feet crunched gravel, he wondered how long it had been since another human had been inside this cavern, and how long it would be until there was another. His question was answered when he found human remains.

He found it by smell before sight. Wretched reeking scents invaded his nose. He gagged, frantically covering his face with his shirt. Valentine's life had it's more gruesome moments, but he had never smelled anything so rotten.

He approached carefully, fearing that he would mess all over his shirt, until he could see the body. It had liquified, leaving behind a dry skeleton in a grey-green puddle of rotting flesh. Along with the skeleton, a necklace had survived. It looked expensive, but Valentine was not nearly desperate enough to take the jewelry. He could only imagine how it would smell. The tattered remains of a journal lay beside him, perhaps able to shed light on the corpse's story. Valentine's curiosity wasn't strong enough to bear the smell though, so he left that too..

"There you are!" Feet fell on the rocky ground, filling the cavern with echoes. Valentine whirled around and saw Red stalking towards him, steam and fury rising off him.

"How did you find me behind a waterfall?" Valentine mused, unconcerned.

"You left your clothes on the shore and left plenty of tracks." Red stopped inches from Valentine. "Are you done pouting like a child? Do you plan on running off every time you hear something upsetting?"

"I don't ask about your time in Cipher Pol, so don't mention Niramor around me," Valentine said, "If I wanted to reminisce, I'd ask."

Red huffed spouts of steam in the cold cave. "It's a group rule then. Don't pry into someone's past."

"You say 'group' as if we are accepting new members," Valentine glared.

"Arguing with you isn't worth it," Red said, "there's safety in numbers, but it's a conversation for another time. Why don't you show me around what you found instead?"

They searched the ruins together. They picked through collapsed houses and sifted through rubble, looking for any clues as to what this place was, what became of it, or how to open the doors. It seemed most everything was lost to time, leaving behind only rubble.

"Some parts of this place are centuries old, at least," Red said, "have you found any treasure? We could sell it in the next town."

Valentine gripped the key in his pocket. "Nothing," he lied, "looks like it has been picked over."

"Shame."

Finally they inspected the ship. Red had more experience with ships than Valentine, so his eyes proved valuable in deconstructing the strange ship. There were no masts or sails, but they hadn't broken off. They had never been there, and there was no place built for them. There was a steering mechanism and a rudder, but no visible way to power it. Metal pipes ran the length of the ship and disappeared below deck. While looking over the side, Valentine spotted a word written on the side of the ship.

"_Antelope_," Valentine said.

"That must be her name," Red called from the rear, "The Antelope, it's strange but familiar. I swear I've heard of a ship named it before…"

"If this ship was half as old as the buildings here, it would be a sunken wreck," Valentine said, "Someone has been here recently."

"Maybe compared to the ruins." Red ran a finger through a sheet of dust. "But no one has stepped foot on this ship for decades, at least."

Valentine rounded a staircase and found himself on the quarterdeck. He ran his hands over the spokes of the steering wheel, the wood was well worn. He took a stance behind it, put both his hands on the wheel, and imagined who might have stood in this position in the past. He could see the whole ship from back here, and it was impressive. Even if they wanted to, Red and Valentine alone surely couldn't crew it alone.

Valentine made to move the wheel, but found it locked in place. It didn't bulge even slightly, and was far too stiff to be from age. Upon closer look, he found something in the center of the wheel. A four fin keyhole, in the shape of a cross.

"We have a visitor!" Red shouted, pulling Valentine out of his daydreams.

A snake slithered into view, blue with yellow eyes. It passed around rubble and approached them without fear until it was almost close enough to touch.

"I've seen that snake," Red said, "when I was passing through the jungle, a snake just like that helped me and guided me to Aria."

The snake rose and looked at them expectantly. It abruptly turned and slithered towards the exit.

"If it's here, that means Aria needs help…" the realization dawned on Valentine. They both raced to the exit.


	8. Doctor

When Red and Valentine made it back to Aria's clearing, she was in a panic. There was an unmoving person laid out in front of the hut on a blanket. Aria was switching between holding pressure on a wound and retrieving much needed supplies, distraught that she couldn't do one without abandoning the other. When she saw the pair, her eyes lit up.

"Finally! Red, get the clear alcohol from the hut. Valentine, I need you to keep pressure on his leg."

Red rushed into duty, disappearing into the shack. Valentine moved hesitantly, as if afraid to touch.

"Well? Pressure, Valentine!"

"He's from the village…" Valentine bit his lip. It didn't take long to recognize him as the old man they first met, who had scolded them for nearly harming a snake.

"I don't care if he's from Marijoa, he's been bitten!"

"You brought a villager here?!" Red bellowed from the doorway of the hut. "You've endangered us all!"

"Last week, it was you stumbling into my home asking for help!" Aria shouted, having no patience for protest.

The old man groaned, eyes half lidded. It was hard to tell if he could even hear them.

"He knows where we are, and who we are. Once he's better, he'll come to collect our bounties in no time." Red said.

Valentine looked between the two of them, and then to the old man. Seeing him groan and twist made him forget about how he treated them upon entering the village. He remembered when he had venom coursing through his body, the burning pain that never ended. Valentine made his decision. He dived down to the man's side and put heavy pressure on his leg.

"Idiot," Red hissed. Seeing that his voice fell on deaf ears, he joined them at the old man's side, ready to be directed to help.

Aria soaked a cloth in the alcohol and cleaned the man's wound, earning cries of pain. She didn't relent and continued to thoroughly clean the wound. She wouldn't risk an infection due to pity. This brought out more cries of pain from the man.

"Red, do you know what mossmint is?" Aria asked.

"Not a clue," Red said.

"It looks like that." She pointed to a botanical sketch pinned to a wall. "We need it, find me ten sprigs."

Red nodded, bounding out the door with characteristic speed.

"What's that for?" Valentine asked.

"Tea." Aria pushed aside her hair, revealing a smile. "Red looked ready to crush my patient's skull. He can take the time to cool down."

Valentine almost laughed. It seemed Aria was more clever than she put off.

Aria waved Valentine off the old man. She walked to her medicine shelf and rattled some vials filled with varying colors of liquid. She read faded labels and shook some, even smelling one, before deciding on a cloudy vial. She uncorked it and drew several drops into a needle, then inserted it into the man's arm. The old man groaned weakly, his glazed eyes gliding across the ceiling of Aria's hut.

"Can he hear us?" Valentine asked.

Aria snorted. "Not a chance. The snake that bit him, people call it _Widowmaker_. He'll live, but he'll be out of it for the rest of the day."

The curtain leading into the hut parted and Red returned with a fistful of herbs. He gave a strange look when Aria took them and put them in a teapot, but said nothing. He joined them at the old man's side. When his eyes fell upon the man's face, his expression turned sour.

"Do you recognize him, Valentine?" Red bit his lip.

"Yeah, I do." Valentine said. Aria raised an eyebrow, urging Valentine to continue."We've seen him before. When we first entered the village, he stopped us from killing a snake and threatened to hang us."

"I see his pleasantness hasn't diminished over the years…" Aria sighed. "His name is Soren. He's the _Serpasha _for the town. It's kind of like a priest, hard to explain. He's the worst of them, though. He fuels the rest of the town, talking about how only through faith will the snakes leave them alone. Obviously he's not my biggest fan, he must have been terribly desperate to come here."

"This 'Soren' might have been the one who posted your bounty then," Red noted, "He could have had a hand in running you out of town as well." Aria looked away and didn't respond, which was all the response Red needed.

"If he's an important figure in the village, they've likely noticed he's gone." Valentine chewed his lip. "How long until they find your hut and accuse you of kidnapping?"

"We should bring him out to the jungle and leave him there," Red said. "If they come for him, they'll get him back without finding your hut or knowing you were involved. If he wakes up he can find his own way back. He found his way here after all."

"He's lucky he made it here alive, "Aria said, "I'm not going to let him trek the jungle again, he won't make it. I don't care if he's a celestial dragon, he's in my care. He is my responsibility."

"The villagers will have your head for it then." Valentine reached into his jacket and presented her bounty that he had taken from the village

_WANTED Dead or Alive_

"_Snake Demon" Aria_

_5,000,000 Berries_

_Wanted for the crimes of theft, murder, and illegal medicinal practice on the island of Elder Falls. Known to reside in the jungle of the same island. Report any information on this dangerous heretic to Serpasha Soren. Do NOT accept healing services from her under any circumstances._

"I don't recall murder being mentioned in your story." Valentine said.

Aria took the bounty, read it, and sighed. "I worried they might do this. Someone went missing months ago. They never found the body, so they assumed that I killed him and pinned it on me. I suppose children are getting told scary stories about the 'Snake Demon' in the jungle as well."

Valentine's ears perked up. "A missing person?"

"Yeah, a treasure hunter. Seemed to be convinced the jungle held some ancient treasure. Of course he never found it. He could have died anywhere in the jungle any number of ways. Of course we can't prove that to the village."

"What if the villagers knew you didn't murder anyone?" Valentine said. Red and Aria both looked at him with strange expressions. "I think I found the dead treasure hunter at the falls. If I can go get his personal effects, it could clear you of murder."

"You'll still be wanted for theft and illegal medicine practice, but if you're set on keeping him here I think it's our only hope with the village," Red said.

"I suppose it is," Aria sighed. She looked terribly stressed, but wasn't any more willing to budge on her position. "I'm sorry for dragging you both into this trouble. You're under no obligation to help me."

"You saved my life," Valentine said simply. For him, not a single other word was needed.

"We should be off soon," Red said. "Who knows when the village will start snooping around looking for him."

* * *

Trekking the falls was much easier with Red. He climbed the waterfall in under a minute, hammered a spike into the rock, and tied a rope to it for Valentine to use. They were both up in five minutes, when it had taken Valentine many times longer to climb it on his own.

Valentine led Red to where he found the rotting man earlier. He was prepared and covered his nose, but an unbeknownst Red nearly vomited when he came close.

"Just put them in the bag. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to." Red said through the vomit rising in his throat. With gloves, Valentine carefully took the journal and necklace from the corpse. He was shaking the whole while, half expecting the skeleton to rise and attack him for desecrating his remains. When Valentine finished Red sharply sealed the bag, hopefully it would be enough to hold back the smell.

"Do you think the evidence will be enough?" Red asked.

"If it's not, we can show them the body. Hopefully helping this Soren fellow will give us enough leverage with the villagers." Valentine said. Red helped him up, and they started climbing out of the cavern.

They made their way out of the cavern and down the rock wall. They made careful sure to keep the sack of 'evidence' out of the waterfall pool. If it smelled this bad now, they didn't want to know what it smelled like wet. Luckily, they made it back onto dry ground without incident. They made their way back into the jungle towards Aria's hut. It wasn't long before they found trouble. Red heard it first.

"Down!" Red hissed, tackling Valentine. He clapped a hand over Valentine's mouth. Despite his pounding heart, Valentine tried to match his breathing to Red's slow pattern. Finally, Valentine saw what Red saw.

Torch light flickered through the jungle underbrush. The constant crunching of leaves and branches showed no attempt at stealth. Finally he saw the villagers. Nearly all of them were armed with makeshift weapons: sharpened stakes, knives, spears, axes, and hammers. The first one he saw close enough to make out was the nurse who had refused to treat him from the village.

"Are you sure they came through here?" A male voice asked.

"Yes, they were asking where to find the Snake Demon in the jungle. I swear," the nurse said. Any guilt Valentine felt for accosting her dripped away.

"If we find them or their tracks, we will find the demon that took Soren," a female voice growled.

After the short exchange, the crowd descended into a cacophony of threats.

"_Kill the demon-"_

"_If they hurt Soren-"_

"_Hang those two-"_

Valentine saw Red slowly grip a rock. He bode his time, listening for the right moment in the rhythm of muttering before launching it in the direction they came. It landed with a satisfying racket, bouncing off plenty of trees and rocks before launching in the stream with a splash. Every head snapped in that direction. It wasn't long before the group charged for the imaginary foe.

"Come on," Red pulled Valentine by the wrist. "That won't keep them occupied long."

The mob's shouting and footfalls covered the escape of the two. They ran for Aria's hut as fast as they had ever ran. Red didn't wait for him and shot ahead, snaking between rocks and roots with ease. Valentine still pushed his body to its limits, for every second saved could mean Aria's life. Finally he broke through the trees and fell into Aria's clearing.

Red was already here, in a heated argument with Aria.

"It's a _mob_, they aren't here to talk!"

"I can't just leave my hut. My tools, my research, my medicine." Aria's voice felt like hot tears. "I can't just leave, who would help them?"

"Snap out of it! Aria, they don't want your help! They are going to _kill you_!"

"They wouldn't actually kill me, would they?" Her eyes were looking beyond, witnessing the turmoil inside herself. "I've helped them for so long, for nothing in return. How could they hate me?"

Valentine left Aria to her thoughts for a few precious moments. He grabbed Red by the shirt and dragged him a few steps away. "We need a plan. We can't fight off an entire village."

"If only we had more time, we could set enough traps to send them back to where they came." Red's eyes whizzed around the clearing, and it was clear behind the eyes elaborate plans were being drawn and scrapped. "What about Aria? She doesn't look ready to leave."

"If she stays, they'll burn her as a witch," Valentine said, "we need to convince her to leave, with us."

Red snorted. "We haven't decided how _we_ are leaving, let alone the three of us. All criminals, mind you.

Thundering footfalls crashed through the forest. Trees split and the canopy parted.

"It's too late," Red said somberly. The mob broke through into the clearing, filling it with torch light and gathered at the edges, the crowd swelling while they waited for someone braver to give orders.

"I've got a plan," Valentine said. "Red, can you buy us some time?"

"I can stall them for a minute, tops."

"That's long enough."

Red discarded his shirt and tossed Valentine his amulet, leaving him shirtless and only in pants and shoes. He closed his eyes and centered himself, seeming to glow. With a blur, he was gone. Valentine heard screaming and shouting from the crowd.

"Aria!" Valentine gripped her by the shoulders, yanking her out of her own thoughts. "They are here to kill you. You're not welcome here, none of us are. Come with us, join our crew as our doctor. I'll get you out of here safely, I promise." When Valentine swore, a great pit opened in his stomach and filled him with creeping cold. Aria seemed short of words, stumbling over herself.

A villager that got too close threw a torch at the hut. It landed on one of the medicinal alcohol barrels. A white firebomb bloomed, swallowing the hut and sending debris flying outwards.

Valentine tackled Aria, covering her from the explosions. White filled his vision and he felt the fire pass over him. First there was a great pressure, like a giant crushing him underfoot. His breath slipped away and he felt his heart shift. His body shuddered, then it was gone along with the fireball.

"Valentine? Are you okay?" Aria managed to slip out from under him. He hesitated to answer; In truth, he didn't know. He lifted up to his feet and felt a deep scraping in his back. Strange pain in places he couldn't pinpoint whenever he moved. He pushed the pain aside, something he was quite good at, and told himself the mob would do worse if they got their hands on him.

"Don't worry about me. Look Aria!" He pointed to the mob. They had surrounded Red, scores against one. Red fought as a giant, striking with the power and reach of many men. "They are here to kill you. Do you believe us now?"

Aria looked at him, and he finally saw understanding in her slit eyes. Steeling herself, she slowly nodded. Valentine picked her up, slung her over his shoulder, and ran for the falls.

"No, we can't leave now!" Aria struggled against his grip, reaching for her hut as if she could grab it. "I'm not leaving without my medicine! The contents of that hut could save thousands of people!"

"RED!" Valentine shouted back as loud as he could manage.

Red yelled back an acknowledgement. He took a torch, jammed it between the planks of the last intact barrel of alcohol, and catapulted it. The leaking alcohol lit up into a ribbon of fire streaming towards the mob. They scattered in a fit of screaming and scrambling. When the barrel hit, there was another explosion of white fire, this time smaller. The ground between the mob and the trio was blocked by a wall of flame.

Red chased after his friends. He had done his part, now he hoped Valentine could pull through. He wasn't sure how he planned to get off the island, especially since they were running _away_ from the village. He didn't know why he put so much faith in Valentine. He had always been trained that faith was a lie, that putting trust in others meant you were too weak to handle it yourself. But that seemed like ages ago now, and he was eager to prove to himself that he was a different Red now.

When he neared him, Valentine set down Aria and tossed Red his shirt and amulet. Red caught it, gripping the amulet tightly in his palm.

_Don't let me down, Valentine._ Red prayed.


End file.
